
Hidden Clues, Big Fight: A Mom Beats Stage 3 Rectal Cancer
Shannon Ivey, 42, was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer after months of symptoms she mistook for menopause, including rectal bleeding, pencil-thin stools, and a 26-pound weight loss. She underwent radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery, and is now cancer-free more than a decade later. The piece notes rising rectal cancer rates, especially among people under 50, and stresses self-advocacy and listening to one's body when symptoms appear.













